IPL 2024: Virat Kohli fined 50 percent of match fees for outburst after controversial dismissal

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli was fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching the Indian Premier League Code of Conduct during RCB’s one run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

Kohli was visibly unhappy after being given out off a high full toss from KKR pacer Harshit Rana in the third over during RCB’s chase of 223. After checking the hawk-eye projection for a beamer, the third umpire declared it a legal delivery and gave Kohli out.

While Rana did not want to comment on it, RCB bowler Reece Topley said there was a grey area as far as measuring a beamer was concerned.

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“It was the umpire’s decision,” Harshit said.

Speaking about the hawk-eye measurement, which concluded that the ball would have met Kohli below waist high had the batter stood at his crease, Topley, a left-arm seamer who did not play the match, said, “He was out of his crease and the ball was over his hip high. The measurement was taken with Virat inside the crease, so it’s a bit of a grey area. It’s a fine margin and would be spoken about in a match where the margin of victory is just one run.”

“Kohli committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” said a statement from IPL on Monday.